Zechariah was a prophet to the people of God around 520 BC, 20 years after their return from exile in Babylon. God used Zechariah to speak to His people in a time when they were filled with discouragement. The people had begun to rebuild the temple of God; but at this stage, they had only laid the foundation of the temple. After laying the foundation they were met with opposition from many different angles, and the people wanted to give up and turn away.

It was in this place that the Lord encouraged and reminded the people that He saw all that they were facing, and He promised to be their constant light and supply of power. He revealed that this project of rebuilding the temple was not going to happen by their might or power, but by His Spirit.

This powerful Old Testament story reveals a great truth for our personal lives and also for us as a church. All of us face opposition to the progression of our growth in God, and it's actually a sign that we are doing something right when the enemy comes to oppose us. The enemy knows if he can get us discouraged and focused on our own efforts – rather than relying on the Spirit of God – he can side track the rebuilding of the temple of our lives.

For us, as C3 Brooklyn, we have seen amazing growth as God has graced us to lay the foundation of the church. But we know that with this progression comes opposition. Let us be encouraged to rise up and continue to build God’s great house, not by our own might but by His Spirit.

As we each make it a personal goal to rely fully on the Holy Spirit, in our own lives and in turn as a community, we will progress toward becoming more and more like the church He desires.

So this week and heading into Sunday as you serve, pray, encourage and love others, organize, lead dinner parties, give, and all the other privileges God has called us to do as his church, remember we cannot do it our own strength. It is not by our might nor our power but by His Spirit.